‘Jigra’ Movie Review: Alia Bhatt’s Committed Performance Helps Vasan Bala’s Prison-Break Thriller Sail Through Its Hiccups (LatestLY Exclusive)

Jigra Movie Review: While his debut film Peddlers still awaits a proper theatrical (or even OTT) release, Vasan Bala continues to rise as a filmmaker, with enjoyable outings like the cult hit Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota and the quirky black comedy Monica O My Darling. Now, with Jigra, he directs Alia Bhatt, one of the finest mainstream actresses in Hindi cinema of this generation, in a film loosely inspired by Gumrah, the 1993 prison break thriller directed by her father, Mahesh Bhatt. Jigra benefits greatly from Bala's unique sensibilities and Bhatt's committed performance. The film is a thrilling watch, although at times, I wished the makers had better control over the pacing and some writing niggles. From ‘Jigra’ Onwards, Dharma Productions To Not Hold Press Screenings Before Release Day for THIS Reason.

Satya (Alia Bhatt) has always been a fiercely protective elder sister to Ankur (Vedang Raina, the breakout star of The Archies). Orphaned at a young age, they were taken in by a wealthy distant relative. Satya now works as her uncle's manager, while Ankur is best friends with his no-good, drug-addict son.

Most of the movie is set in a fictional country called Hanshi Dao (perhaps created to avoid offending any real nation). Ankur and his wealthy friend visit the country for a business proposal, but they end up arrested when the police find drugs on his friend. The friend's father shifts the blame onto Ankur to save his son, and since the country enforces strict drug laws, Ankur is sentenced to death.

Watch the Trailer of 'Jigra':

It's now up to Satya to rescue her brother from certain death, and when legal methods fail, she turns to more illicit means. Helping her are an ex-gangster, Bhatia (Manoj Pahwa), and an ex-cop, Muthu (Rahul Ravindran), both of whom have family members on death row alongside Ankur.

'Jigra' Movie Review - A Fascinating Protagonist

Gumrah centred on a man attempting to save a wrongly incarcerated woman, driven by a one-sided crush. Jigra smartly shifts this to a brother-sister bond, giving the film much more emotional heft, though at times, it underlines this a little too broadly. Nevertheless, you're invested in Satya's dedication to her brother from the outset, especially as the film begins with a tragic scene.

While Ankur's plight evokes sympathy that comes with the not-so-underlying context that the rich would push you under the wheels to save their skin, the film's 'make-or-break' deal is in how you connect with Satya. Personally, I found her character fascinating. Alia Bhatt portrays her perhaps a bit too seriously, even before her brother’s imprisonment, but this can be attributed to the trauma of witnessing her father’s suicide and then cleaning up after her employers. She does, however, lighten up in moments, such as when she wins a basketball game against her brother, aided by clever editing.

I appreciated how Satya's initial act of 'fiery' rebellion against her treacherous employer hints at what she later does in the prison. When she devours food on a chartered plane to Hanshi Dao, it's less about hunger and more about claiming her "final settlement". In her words, she’s a rule-breaker, someone who won’t play nice when her brother’s life is on the line—even if her actions push her into morally grey areas. She doesn't hesitate a bit when Bhatia casually suggests a jailbreak.

While I enjoyed where Vasan Bala was taking Satya’s character and appreciated Bhatt’s dedicated performance, the film takes its time to get moving. Just when I thought Jigra was following the usual prison break formula, Bala and co-writer Debashish Irengbam introduce a fascinating twist—there’s another escape plan already in motion.

'Jigra' Movie Review - The Screenplay Moves on an Uneven Plane

The film works best when these two plans run parallel, unintentionally threatening to derail each other. The film was at its most gripping here, even if you could deduce how the whole idea may eventually end. This is a movie that knows to take its genre seriously, even if it has to rely on convenience tropes occasionally.

That said, the screenplay has a few flaws when it comes to certain character traits and injecting some drama. For example, Satya claims to be a yellow belt in karate and reveals she lost out on a black belt for not following rules, but this has no bearing on her fighting style in the film. Why mention it at all? Another scene that didn't sit well with me involves Satya confronting a betrayal from a close associate. While the scene has grit, the setup is flawed—given how determined Satya is, why would the betrayer warn her about their actions? This scene could have been written with more impact, considering how crucial it is to the plot. ‘Jigra’ Controversy: Karan Johar Urges Everyone To ‘Read Entire Interviews’ After ‘Gore Misinterpretation’ of Vasan Bala’s Comment on KJo Sending Rough Script to Alia Bhatt Without Consent.

I also had mixed feelings about Jigra's antagonist, Landa (Vivek Gomber), the Indian-origin jail warden. On paper, he's an intriguing character - a government employee so committed to his job and his adopted country that he refuses to acknowledge the language of his origin (although there's a scene where Gomber speaks English to a fellow employee instead of Mandarin, which betrays his character's profile).

He is someone who wants to follow a rulebook, and in his mind, he is someone who is doing right to the world because he is abiding by a system; never mind, it's a flawed system (responsible for raising a simmering rebellion in the country). But as the movie proceeds, the character becomes more of a cartoonish villain who is there just to complicate matters and for the purpose that the film needs a human villain. As if the prison break plan isn't gripping enough. Gomber’s performance also borders on hammy in the final scenes, not always in an enjoyable way.

'Jigra' Movie Review - Vasan Bala's Direction and Alia Bhatt's Strong Performance

If these flaws don’t bother you, it’s likely because you’ll be captivated by Vasan Bala's polished direction. Bala gives the film a larger-than-life feel without losing the grit, and the stylish treatment works, for the most part, beautified by Swapnil Sonawane’s cinematography. Where I felt the director went overboard was in the ambitious prison break last act, where some of the fast-editing cuts (which makes it difficult to discern through the chaos set in mostly dark-lit environs), slo-mo shots and the tendency to cut back to past scenes to force-create an emotional depth do cut in an already arresting sequence.

Achint Thakkar's score deserves special mention, giving Jigra a funky lift in several crucial scenes.

As for the performances, Alia Bhatt is in top form here, delivering one of her better performances, comparable to her work in Udta Punjab and Dear Zindagi. When Satya says she wants to be like Bachchan, you believe her, despite her unassuming appearance, thanks to the confidence Bhatt brings to her character and her body language, almost to a psycho level. Perhaps Satya is a psycho, which raises an interesting question—are you willing to be one to save a loved one?

Vedang Raina delivers a natural performance, bringing vulnerability to his role that instantly makes you empathise with him. He is particularly good in the scene where he faces the warden’s megalomaniac arrogance at its worst. Manoj Pahwa is a scene-stealer (I loved the Easter egg of his Urf Professor T-shirt in one scene), and Rahul Ravindran also gives an adept performance as the conflicted ex-cop. Ankur Khanna, Yuvraj Vijjan, and Dheer Hira are cast in other key roles, and they perform well too.

'Jigra' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Jigra is a film that thrives on Vasan Bala's directorial flair and Alia Bhatt’s powerhouse performance, which helps it stay afloat its flaws. While the film stumbles with pacing issues and an overwrought final act, it remains an engaging and emotionally charged prison-break thriller that holds some good surprises and thrills.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 11, 2024 02:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).